


The Question

by TR33G1RL



Category: One Piece
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Slash, not even really a ship, you kinda need to squint to see the ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:54:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22798915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TR33G1RL/pseuds/TR33G1RL
Summary: Whitebeard has a question he needs to ask Rayleigh, and Rayleigh already knows his answer.
Relationships: Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate/Silvers Rayleigh
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	The Question

**Author's Note:**

> It's shitty, and I'm sorry, but I just want to put something out there before all my fic ideas overwhelm me.

The party that follows the friendly battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger's crew is wild, alcohol and music allowing for loose tongues and grinding bodies. The younger crew members have long since fallen asleep against the large rocks form a border between the sand and the treeline like messy stitching, leaving the older pirates to party as they please.

Rayleigh sits with a group of other pirates around a campfire, several pairs of drunkenly glazed eyes locked on him as he reveals the ending to a humorous story about one of Buggy and Shanks' mischievous antics. The particular one that Rayleigh is talking about was from a week prior and had ended with a dizzy Shanks, an ill Buggy, a missing barrel of ale, and a stolen collection of crew member's items that were promptly returned with an attached apology note on each one. “Needless to say, they haven’t touched any of the stuff since,” Rayleigh concludes with a wry, crooked grin. “And I doubt they will for another few weeks at least.”

As Roger lets out a loud, boisterous laugh, an arm slung around Scooper Gaban's shoulders, and pirates from both crews join in, Rayleigh feels a gentle but persistent tugging at the elbow of his rolled up sleeve. When he looks to the side, he’s surprised to find one of the younger sons from Whitebeard’s crew looking up at him with tired eyes and a sleepy but content smile. “Excuse me, yoi.”

Rayleigh offers the young pirate a kind smile and turns to face the boy. “Hey, Marco. I thought you’d be asleep already,” he says, giving the Whitebeard pirate a pointed look as Marco lets out a yawn. "Seems like you're halfway there already, aren't ya, kiddo?"

For a moment, it looks like Marco is going to deny that he's half-asleep where he stands, but when Marco opens his mouth, he only ends up yawning again. 

An amused chuckle is almost completely covered by the sound of Marco's yawn. Rayleigh reaches out to ruffle the shock of blond hair on his head. "So what's keeping you up so late, huh? Got a mission or something?"

Marco nods, a sudden burst of energy seeming to work through his system at the questions. "Yeah, I need to show you something, yoi!" He suddenly reaches out and grabs Rayleigh's hand. "Come with me!" He tries tugging on Rayleigh's hand to force him into motion, but he's not yet old or strong enough to get Rogers's first mate to move. It draws a laugh from Rayleigh and a few people around, which in turn makes Marco flush in embarrassment. His grip on Rayleigh's hand loosens as he looks away and purses his lips.

Rayleigh smiles kindly at Marco and hands his tankard to Roger, who happily takes it and begins to drink it down. "Alright," he says as he gestures for Marco to continue leading the way. "Let's see what it is that you want to show me." Despite Rayleigh's words, he has a fair guess as to where the boy was leading him to. A few hundred beli and a bottle of rum says that Marco is taking Rayleigh right over to his captain and father, the infamous Edward 'Whitebeard' Newgate, whose enormous figure could be seen rising high above the other bodies that sat around him.

Rayleigh sighs, an inaudible exhale of breath. He should've known this is how the night would end up when he saw the Moby Dick one the horizon. He already knows  _ exactly _ how the rest of this night is going to play out. He should've held onto his drink rather than try to be responsible and hand it off to someone else.

It's obvious from the way he stumbles that Marco is tired, practically running on fumes as he pulls Rayleigh further down the beach, his grasp on the older pirate's wrist tight. Rayleigh is half tempted to offer giving the kid a piggyback ride over to where Whitebeard is, but he knows that Marco, like Shanks and Buggy, is at an age where that question would upset him.  _ 'Though,’ _ Rayleigh thinks amusedly,  _ 'Marco would probably handle that kind of comment much better than either of those two brats would.' _

"Gurarara!"

A loud laugh catches Rayleigh's attention at the same time he feels the hand around his wrist lets go and they come to a stop in front of a large bonfire, on the other side of which sits Newgate himself. "Pops!" Marco calls, a smile on his face, before he darts around the fire, feet kicking up sand behind him as he runs over to his captain. 

Newgate's eyes immediately catch onto his son as Marco comes to stand in front of him. "Marco! I thought you'd already fallen asleep," he remarks with a smile as he reaches down and allows Marco to step into his palm before raising it to his shoulder, where the young pirate moves to perch as if he's a parrot. 

A yawn only gives evidence as to why Newgate would think that Marco had already fallen asleep, but the kid shakes his head. "Not yet, yoi," he replies as he points down at Rayleigh, who is gratefully accepting a tankard of ale from one of Whitebeard’s other kids and taking a long drink from it. “I wanted to see you ask him again.” Marco says with an excited smile, though his voice quiet from his tiredness as he leans against his father’s neck, making himself comfortable.

A low, deep chuckle reverberates from Newgate’s chest at Marco’s words. “So you think I should ask him again?” he whispers, falsely conspiratorial, which makes Marco nod. The way Marco’s excitement shows through despite his tiredness threatens to bring another laugh from the pirate captain, but he holds it back so as not to disturb his half-asleep son. “I was thinking I should wait until after the party and do it in the morning. Do you think I should do it tonight instead?”

Another yawn from Marco is followed by a quiet but confident and decisive, “Both.”

Newgate shakes his head with a smile on his lips. “You think it’ll work if I try that?” he asks as he watches Rayleigh from across the crowd of people. Rayleigh catches his eye and can’t help but laugh under his breath at the sight of a dozing Marco on Newgate’s shoulder. Newgate only smiles in return and shrugs the shoulder that doesn’t have the younger pirate balancing on it. Rayleigh rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but his slight smile is obvious, even as he raises his drink back to his lips.

Being as intelligent and observant as he is, Marco notices the look that his pops and Rayleigh share, and it makes him smile. “I think so,” he says with his usual level-headed confidence as he watches Rayleigh finish off his drink. “Can you ask him now, yoi? I want to hear his answer,” Marco states as he gently tugs on a long strand of his pops’ hair. 

Nodding softly, Newgate smiles at his son and answers with, “Sure, I’ll call him over over.” But as he turns to call out to the other man to his side, he finds that Rayleigh is already making his way over to where Newgate is sitting. 

Rayleigh chortles as he stands in front of the rival pirate captain. “So, are you what the kiddo wanted me to see, or was he trying to tell me that he has a cool, new sleeping spot?” he asks he moves to lean against Newgate’s lower leg. A wry grin plays at the corners of his mouth as he crosses his arms, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the muscles of his arm.

“I’m afraid that it’s something more like the first of those two options,” Newgate tells him with a faux-remorseful look. Truthfully, he wasn’t sorry about this at all. In fact, he’s been looking forward to being able to talk to the ‘Dark King’ for a while, though he’d planned on doing it in the morning, when everyone else would be asleep and they could have some alone-time together. “He wanted me to ask you something.”

“Ask him now,” Marco whispers -though not quietly enough to escape Rayleigh’s keen hearing - as he nudges his head against Newgate’s jaw. “Ask him, pops!”

At the sound of such familiar words, a tired breath heaves itself up out of Rayleigh’s chest. “Ah, this again?” he asks wearily, already well aware of where this conversation is headed. “Do we really need to do this right now?”

“Yes!” Marco replies even as his head bobs tiredly and his eyelids threaten to close as if they were curtains announcing that the show has ended and Marco should be heading off to bed. Newgate only shrugs his free shoulder and gestures to the young pirate on his other shoulder. 

Rayleigh glances between the two Whitebeard Pirates. The gleeful gleam in Newgate’s eyes doesn’t go unnoticed, not in the least. Damn him, he already knows that Rayleigh isn’t going to disappoint Marco by making him wait until morning. If the kid wasn’t watching, Rayleigh would’ve already laughed at Newgate and called him a fool for trying to ask  _ that _ question again. But since Marco is here, Rayleigh will have to wait until he’s asleep before he teases Newgate for asking again. Rayleigh lets out another sigh before uncrossing his arms and moving his hand in a ‘go on’ sort of gesture. “Alright, if you really need to do this before we’re all awake and sober, go ahead. Ask away.”

Newgate smiles, knowing he’s temporarily won this battle if only for the fact that Rayleigh won’t laugh at him - too hard - while Marco is still awake. “Well, Rayleigh,” he begins, preparing to draw out the question as long as Rayleigh will let him without interrupting, “I have known you for a long time now, and I know that you’re a great man. I would be proud to have you at my side through the best and worst of times.”

It’s hard for Rayleigh not to roll his eyes at the statement, but he manages not to, for Marco’s sake. The boy is looking between them with this wonder in his eyes, wonder that Rayleigh knows is hard to find in a pirate, even one that young. But Newgate has always encouraged his children’s curiosity and sense of fascination with the world, which is one thing that Rayleigh admires about him. 

“And it is for these reasons and many more that I’m asking you, again,” Newgate says with a bright smile, “To join my crew.”

“And I still say no,” Rayleigh replies without so much as a beat between their voices. He can’t help the easy smile that threatens to pull at his lips at the familiarity of the situation. How many times has Newgate asked this question? Over the span of how many years? By now it’s familiar, routine, and Rayleigh finds it a bit amusing.

Newgate only laughs, the loud, carefree sound echoing in the cool night air. “Gurara! Just like I expected.” 

Marco’s lips turn down into a frown for only a moment before he shrugs. “We’ll just have to try again in the morning, yoi.” With a yawn, he reaches out to tap Newgate’s arm. “I’m going to go find Thatch and go to bed.”

With ease, Newgate reaches up and sets his son back on the ground safely. Marco stretches before smiling at Newgate and Rayleigh and telling them, respectively, “Night, pops! Night, dad!” before he vanishes into the night to finally go to sleep.

A few moments of stunned silence pass between them before Rayleigh looks to Newgate, a brow cocked in clear bewildered amusement. “So. ‘Dad,’ huh?”

Newgate just shrugs and doesn’t even give a half-hearted attempt to hide his smile. “I didn’t teach him that.”

Rayleigh rolls his eyes and laughs. “I don’t think I believe you. Now hand me a drink; this is still a party, after all.”


End file.
